Telemedicine to begin in five regions next year – Lawrence

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) is set to start its telemedicine programme in five of the administrative regions next year and this will facilitate persons being evaluated, diagnosed and treated in remote areas using telecommunications technology.

A press release from the MoPH yesterday stated that Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence made the pronouncement during a courtesy call by the new Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee.

The programme is set to be rolled out in Regions 1, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and is being backed by the Ministries of Finance and Public Telecommunications.

According to the statement, when the programme commences there will be a decrease in the dependency on the Medivac services for interior residents. The statement added that Lawrence promised Chatterjee that she will “look into this more to see if there are opportunities.”

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence (left) and Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee (Ministry of Public Health photo)

The statement pointed out that Chatterjee has amassed an array of expertise in the area of development, which was honed from her attachment as a specialist at the Canadian International Development Agency, where she helped design and implement initiatives that are being enjoyed by Guyana and other developing countries.

Lawrence also told Chatterjee that Maternal and Child Health (MCH) is at the forefront of her agenda and wants a follow-up meeting to brief her on the ongoing initiatives in the sub-sector.

Additionally, Lawrence used the opportunity to outline current MCH initiatives within Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9, which currently target the country’s indigenous people who are currently being trained as Community Health Workers to assist in monitoring and evaluating pregnant women.